


The One That Got Away

by PostSochiFeels



Category: Figure Skating RPF
Genre: F/M, Family, Heartache, Heartbreak, Light Angst, Sad
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-22
Updated: 2018-10-22
Packaged: 2019-08-05 17:36:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,679
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16372067
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PostSochiFeels/pseuds/PostSochiFeels
Summary: A career to be envied and, finally, honored brings back memories of times gone by





	The One That Got Away

“Are you absolutely sure you’re ready for this, Gran?”

“Of course I am!” she replied, indignantly. 

The young teen gently took his grandmother's hand in his and led her to the door of the modern sports museum.

“I thought that this might difficult for you. I’m sorry.” The teen patted her hand tenderly. “I know that they greatly appreciate you taking the time to host the grand opening of the exhibit.”

“I...of course...it’s nothing.” She faltered, just enough for her grandchild to notice.

“There’s going to be a lot of people here anxious to see you, are you sure you’re okay?”

“Sean Patrick! I’m perfectly fine. I’m old, not senile.”

“I know Gran, I’m sorry.” her youngest grandchild kissed her cheek. “I love you”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Tessa strolled slowly through the exhibit, her grandson following close behind but giving her the space he knew she needed to fully process everything. Each display captured a moment in time from their storied twenty one year career, bringing back memories; some good, which brought a smile to her face, but some still unwanted, even after all these years.

“Ah, look at that!” Her breath caught as she walked past the display of their early childhood. Her tiny white skates lay against her battered pink skate bag that she had carried for many years. A royal blue skating dress, with sparkles along the trim, was hung on a small mannequin standing in front of an enlarged photo of her posing in it.

“Gran, I love that photo of you!” Sean exclaimed.

“I cherished that dress.” Tessa smiled. “I was allowed to pick it out myself at Lynda’s skate shop. It was my favourite place to shop when I was a little girl. I wore it so often it’s almost threadbare.”

Next to her outfit was Scott’s tiny tuxedo, passed down from his elder brother, Danny, to Charlie to Scott, and then to a multitude of younger skating Moirs. But it’s journey ended here, for generations to come to admire. 

“We were so little.” Tessa swiped at her eyes, brushing away tears. “I never realized how little.”

She paused to watch the famous video of them at one of their first competitions. Their young faces so serious as they glided around the rink, both determined to skate as well as they could.

_“Just do your best.” Aunt Carol encouraged the young pair. “Have fun!”_

__

__

_“We want to win!” Scott piped up and Tessa just nodded her agreement._

They passed by photos and cases celebrating their successes. Tessa stopped occasionally to regale Sean with stories about the competitions and to stare in awe at her still stunning costumes. All, of course, leading up to the event they didn’t think they would get to attend - Vancouver Olympics.

_“C’mon Tess, it’s time for practice.” Scott banged on the bedroom door of her shared room in the Olympic Village._

_“I can't walk, Scott.” Her voice was steady, but he could hear the fear._

_“Is it really that bad?”_

_“How are we gonna do this, Scott? This is everything we’ve worked so hard for and I’m ruining our chances!”_

_“If anyone can do this T, it’s you. I’ll carry you around if I have to. We just need you for 4 minutes.”_

And they had been a wonderful 4 minutes. Tessa still didn’t know how she was able to skate through the pain. She gazed at the sheer white dress she had worn, Scott’s white shirt, still stained with her makeup,and remembered the feeling of standing atop the podium, of the entire arena singing “Oh Canada” along with them. Scott had taken her back to Vancouver years later, and they had walked the city, admiring everything she couldn’t enjoy during the Olympics.

There were a few displays interspersed between their Olympic high and their Olympic low, but Sean had run ahead to the 2014 display, eager to watch their performances on the large screens. Tessa hesitated at the Carmen display, recalling how they had begun to tease one another to bring out the characters of the routine, and how the teasing had led to so much more.

“Gran was 2014 as bad as everyone says it was?” Sean was gazing at their 4 silver medals draped over the mannequins necks that their short dance outfits were displayed on, as they danced on the large wall screen behind them.

Tessa smiled as she watched Scott dance for joy after their Sochi short dance. They really had skated the best they had that season and, at the time, they seemed to be the only ones that knew it. 

“It was a tough time, sweetie. We knew going in that we weren’t the favourites and that we didn’t have the support we needed. But we had each other.”

Although they tried to stay positive, Sochi had been the peak of the most disappointing season of their careers. All season long, Tessa had felt the rejection from their coach and tried to convince Scott to find a new training ground. He didn’t see it and they fought. She wanted to feel validated after the Games and yell at him that she was right, but there was no point. They were both battered and broken and lost. After flirting with each other and pushing their relationship to the brink for the better part of a year, Scott shocked Tessa when he introduced her to his girlfriend, a fellow athlete he had met at the games. He flew off Tessa’s radar, showing up for practice when he felt like it, making sure he was there for their appearances, but jetting off to be with his girlfriend at her events without a second thought or a goodbye. At that time, she saw him more on TV than she did in person.

_“Scott, what the hell is the matter with you?”_

_Tessa burst into the front room of the house Scott claimed to be renovating. She was shocked to see the empty bottles and takeout packages that littered the floor._

_“Is this why you haven’t answered my calls? Tessa kicked a bottle with the toe of her boot._

_“I don’t care anymore, T.” Scott took a swig from the bottle grasped in his hand. “She left me.”_

_“She...left?” Tessa gasped. She knew Scott had been on the verge of proposing to his girlfriend. They had been planning to move into this very house to start their lives together._

_“Up and gone.” Scott’s hands mimicked a plane taking off._

_“But why, what happened?” Tessa pushed some debris off the sofa and gingerly sat on the edge, not entirely sure of what else might be littering the surface._

_“She said she was tired of competing for my attention.” Scott fell onto the sofa beside Tessa and she coughed behind her hand as dust flew up around them. “She thinks I love you.” He leaned back and took another drink. “I’ve been drinking ever since she said that.”_

_“Scott, you need to stop.” Tessa urged._

_“I can’t.”_

_“Why?”_

_“I’m afraid if I stop I’ll start thinking clearly again. When I do that...I think she’s right.”_

They had begun their relationship, affair, life as a couple, whatever you wanted to call it in the autumn of 2015. Scott professed his love for her and swore that he would stop drinking and get back into shape, for her. She wanted to compete again, having felt lost without the rigours of training and the challenge it gave her. But she wanted to compete with Scott, of course, no one else would do.

_“Are you sure?” She brushed his hair from his still closed eyes, as they relaxed in their post - coital embrace._

_“Yes, as long as I can be with you, I’ll do anything you ask.”_

_“I want you to be happy Scott, I don’t want you doing this just for me.”_

_“I’m happy with you Tess. Getting to see you everyday makes me the happiest person on earth.”_

Her beautiful blush dress that she had worn for their free dance in their first year of what people called their comeback hung from invisible wires that held it in a frozen pose reminiscent of one of their famous lifts. Scott’s navy outfit with the sheer inserts was displayed beside the TV that played “Latch” on a loop. Tessa closed her eyes and remembered how it felt to hold Scott in her embrace at the end of the dance, remembering the feeling of his warm breath on her breast and her fingers entwined in his hair as he apologized for screwing up a step. She recalled how proud she was of him, just getting through the year without going insane, as bad news attacked him at every turn. 

Her steps faltered as they neared the last exhibits. Sean, afraid she was about to fall, quickly wrapped his arms around her. “Gran, do you need to sit down?”

She paused, willing the pounding in her chest to settle. “No, I’m fine. Let’s finish so I can rest before I have to do the presentation tonight, please.”

Sean looked at her dubiously, but knew better than to argue with his grandmother. Even in her 70’s, she didn’t back down. He led her into the PyeongChang exhibit, gasping as the opening notes to their famous Moulin Rouge program sounded out loudly as they entered the room. A large screen flickered in the darkness, his grandmother and her beloved partner tangoed to the relentless beat of the soundtrack. He had always loved this program of theirs and he was getting lost in the movements when she tugged on his arm. “Can we move on, dear? I can’t watch this.”

They walked on, past the screen and over to the stunning display of the variety of outfits they had worn for the “Moulin Rouge” routine over the course of the season, culminating with the gorgeous red and black sparkling costumes and the gold medals that had cemented their status as the greatest ice dancers of all time.

Her hand reached out to the medals, aching to touch them once more as they gleamed brightly in their lighted display case. Hers and his, side by side forever, as she once thought they would be.

“We worked damn hard for these.” Her voice was barely above a whisper and the teen beside her leaned closer as he clasped her hand tightly.

“Greatest of all time, Gran.”

“I never would have been able to do it without Scott.” Tessa sighed deeply. “He was my strength and my rock.”

_“Tessa, I love you. You have to know that. Why are you being so distant?”_

_She pulled away, her feelings for him suddenly confusing and overwhelming at the same time. “I don’t know, Scott, I can’t explain it.”_

_He stared at her, taking in her haunted eyes and shaking hands. “Is there someone else?” he asked, softly._

_“I...I didn’t mean it.” She gasped out, finally. “It wasn’t supposed to mean anything.” She realized what she said the moment the words left her lips. “It didn’t mean anything, I swear.”_

_Scott hung his head. “I thought you loved me.”_

_Tessa reached for him and shivered as he recoiled from her touch. “I never meant for it to happen.”_

_“But it did, Tess. It happened.” Scott reached for his jacket and car keys and roughly pushed past her on his way to the door._

_“Scott, where are you going?” Tessa cried out._

_“I need to think. About you, about us.” He slammed the door and she collapsed against it, her tears soaking her shirt, her breath coming in great, gasping sobs. What had she done?_

The last gallery of the exhibit brought back those gasping sobs she recalled from so very long ago. A large photo of Scott, sitting on the front steps of his family home,as he stared wistfully down the road, his entire future ahead of him, hung in front of her. Tessa tightened her grip on Sean’s arm, sensing what she was about to view. 

_“Sad story at the top of the news tonight. Local hero and 5 time Olympic medallist, Scott Moir tragically passed away this evening, succumbing to his injuries after his car crashed into a highway median and was struck by on oncoming vehicle. Mr. Moir had been touring with his life long partner, Tessa Virtue when…”_

“Sean, I need to sit down, please.”

Sean guided her to a nearby bench and, after making sure she was alright, went off in search of some water for her.

Tessa breathed in deeply, averting her eyes from the repeating video from the London news channel. She hadn’t known what to do after Scott stormed out that night. He had always been very emotional and prone to fits of temper, but she knew he was completely in the right this time. She fussed around the house, tried to watch TV, picked up her phone to call him and then put it away about 20 times. She decided to give him time and let him think and vent. They could work this out, she knew they could.

_When the call came in, she smiled brightly, he was calling sooner than she thought he would be._

_“Tessa?”_

_"Scott!”_

_“No, sweetie, it’s...it's Charlie.”_

_“Charlie? Is Scott with you? Tell him I’m really sorry and that I understand why he’s so…”_

_The phone was ominously silent and Tessa felt the growing fear in the pit of her stomach._

_“Tess, Scott was in an accident.” Charlie's voice, heavy with emotion, cracked. “He’s...he’s…” Charlie broke into incoherent sobbing._

_“No, Charlie, no!” Tessa screamed, dropping the phone._

She sat, restlessly smoothing her skirt with her hand and let the tears slide down her face. She barely remembered the weeks and months after Scott’s death, her grief was so deep. She blamed herself for the accident and stayed secluded in the house, refusing to speak to anyone. Eventually, she came to realize that life carries on, even when the love of your life is gone forever. She stopped skating and delved into the world of fashion design. She met her husband at a charity fashion gala in Toronto about 5 years later. He had no idea who she was and she was fascinated by that, even though she had to answer all the questions once he found out. But he was thoughtful about it and kind and she loved him for that. He was no Scott, but no one else ever could be. He cared for her deeply and at times she thought that was more than she deserved. They had a good life together, a happy life, blessed with two children and five grandchildren.

She felt a cool breeze envelope her and turned slightly, knowing at the same time that there was nothing there. 

“Scott, I know you’re here. You wouldn’t miss this for the world. I still love you, you know. You’ve always owned my heart.” She paused, checking to make sure Sean hadn’t returned. Seeing her talking to herself would just make him worry about her more. “I’m so sorry, Scott, so very sorry. I know you’ve been watching over and taking care of me. It’s so much more than I deserve after what I did to you.”

“Gran, I have some water for you.” Sean held out a bottle. “Have you been crying?”

“Just remembering, dear. There are a lot of memories here tonight.”

“We should get going so you can rest before tonight’s gala.” Sean encouraged. “Let’s get back to the hotel.” He held his arm out for her to assist her from the bench.

Tessa smiled at her grandchild fondly. He was a good boy and was always looking after her. He reminded her very much of a young Scott, perhaps without the temper, which wasn’t such a bad thing.

She was looking forward to the rest. The evening was going to be tough to get through. People would expect to hear her stories, to have her relive events that she preferred to keep to herself, especially with Scott not there beside her. The guest list was a full of skating royalty, although she knew very few of them anymore. She stopped following the sport after Scott passed, she just didn’t care about it after that. Also on the guest list was Scott’s family. Alma and Joe, of course, had passed on many years before. Charlie and Danny would be there though, and she didn’t know if she could face them. To look at them and see Scott reflecting back at her, their faces always so similar. She sighed as she removed her light jacket and draped it over the back of a chair. The Moirs had always been so wonderful to her and she missed them. It would be nice to see the family again, probably for the last time. She hated to travel anymore, it took so much out of her. This was definitely a one time event, and purely because the organizers had begged her, first for her memorabilia, and second, for her memories. 

Settling on the bed, turning onto her side, Tessa closed her eyes as she pulled her pink satin sleep mask down. She didn’t worry about setting an alarm. Sean would pop in when it was time to wake and prepare for the evening. She drifted off to a light sleep, dreaming of skating with Scott, no worries, no competition, just blissfully gliding in unison across the blank frozen canvas. She sensed, more than felt, the bed dip down as if a weight had settled on it. She shivered from the cool brush of air that had come out of nowhere. 

“I miss you.”

A tear trickled down her cheek. “I miss you too, horribly”

“We can still be together.”

“You should hate me.” she whispered, tossing slightly under the covers.

“I could never hate you, T. Never.”

She felt a cold touch to her cheek, then a lingering iciness on her lips.

“I’ll be waiting T. I love you.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

Later that evening, Sean gasped when Tessa answered his knock. He had given her time to rest and a phone call to wake her up and prepare for the event. But he never expected her to look this beautiful.

“Gran, you look stunning!”

Tessa playfully posed for him, her mind harkening back to when she posed for Scott, who was miming a photographer in one of their routines. “Why thank you, darling. The old girl still has it.”

Sean crooked his arm for her to grasp and he pulled her close. “Gran, you’re going to knock them dead tonight.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tessa held a wine glass and retreated to a corner, letting admirers come to her. She wanted to mentally gather herself and be ready to walk through the exhibit again, this time with hundreds of attendees watching her every move.

“Tessa? Is that you?” A male voice called out and Tessa’s voice caught in her throat as she looked up.

Scott? No, it couldn’t be. She shook her head to clear it.

“Sweetie, it’s me, Charlie.” He wrapped his arms around her and gave her a tight hug. “You look wonderful.”

“Oh...I...Charlie, thank you.” Tessa kissed his cheek and let her hand rest on his shoulder. “You look very handsome tonight.”

“I wouldn’t miss this for the world. It’s about time they’ve created a museum and Virtue and Moir are the perfect grand opening.”

Tessa blushed. “ I suppose. There are so many Canadian skaters that are worthy of this though.”

“Tess!” Once again, strong arms wrapped around her waist, picking her up and twirling her.

“Easy, Danny boy. Don’t hurt yourself.” Charlie chuckled.

“It’s just lovely to see you two again. I’ve missed you very much.” Tessa assured them.

“It’s awful that it’s on the anniversary, but it’s such a great honour.” Danny said quietly.

“The anniversary?”

“Scott died 45 years ago today, sweetie.” Charlie pulled her close and hugged her again.  


Tessa wilted in Charlie’s arms and Danny swiftly grabbed a chair for her. “Sit down, Tess. I’m sorry, I know it’s hard to believe.”

“I...oh my...I’m sorry...I didn’t realize.” She took a gulp of her wine. 45 years? Not possible. 

“We miss him so much. This tribute is amazing and keeping his memory alive.” Danny assured her.

“Thank you so much for agreeing to be here. We know how hard this must be for you.”

Tessa bobbed her head up and down quickly, willing the tears away. “I miss him every day.”

Charlie swiped a tear away from her cheek. “We know how much you loved him. Do him proud tonight.”

“He’s going to be looking down and smiling, Tess.” Danny added. “That big goofy smile he got whenever he was around you.”

Tessa stood and hugged the Moir brothers. “I love you two, thank you for being here.”

Sean coughed politely as he encountered the trio hugging and crying. “I’m sorry Gran, it’s time to get ready for your speech.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tessa fussed with her notecards as she waited, when a cool breeze encircled her shoulders. She shuddered slightly. 45 years. What would they have done with those years? Would they have continued to skate? Would they have gotten married? What would their children have looked like? 

“Scott, I miss you very much. I love you dearly. But I’m not ready to skate with you again. Not yet. I want to, but it’s just not time yet.” she whispered.

Cocking her head, she listened to the announcer recite their career highlights. “I have to go out there and follow this by giving a speech for the both of us. I wish you were here beside me.” She closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around herself.

“You always were better at giving speeches, sweetie.” The cool breeze swirled around her, an icy touch to her lips and cheek causing her to sigh deeply. “I will wait for you, I will wait until you are ready. You’ll do great, kiddo.”

“I’ll be standing right there beside you.”


End file.
